In support of the nationwide strike declared by South Africa’s largest labour union over rising inflation and frequent power outages, protesters marched to one of South Africa’s key government buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday.
As they made their way to the Union Buildings, where the presidency is housed, hundreds of protesters blocked highways in the nation’s capital and demanded that the government address rising living expenses to prevent “economic collapse.”
General Secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions, Zwelinzima Vavi while addressing the protesting crowd said:
“We cannot breathe, we cannot compromise when we know that yesterday and today, at least 14 million people are forced to skip a meal a day because they simply cannot afford to buy a plate of food.”
However, demonstrations in other regions of the nation were much smaller, and labour union’s request for a “national shutdown” went largely unanswered.
High rates of unemployment and inflation, as well as bouts of blackouts brought on by malfunctions and capacity shortages at state energy provider Eskom, have hammered South Africa.
Deputy director of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, Mike Shingange said:
“It is a societal struggle, without action, “our future is doomed, the future of our young people is doomed. We have to fight now.”
Unions say that the government prioritizes elite and corporate profits over the needs of the average South African.
While addressing the protesters, Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele stated that the problems they mentioned needed to be resolved right away.
In his words:
“We agree with you that unless the government deals with inequality it will be irrelevant.”
The national statistics agency, StatsSA, announced on Wednesday that the inflation rate in July had increased to 7.8%, the highest level in 13 years.
According to the organization, average price increases for food and non-alcoholic beverages were 9.7%, while increases in power rates were 7.5%.
Meanwhile, there has been a sharp increase in fuel costs of 56.2% since last year.
More than 33% of people were unemployed, with women and young people suffering the most.
Labour unions in South Africa demand include higher minimum wages, more funding for public institutions including hospitals and schools, and improved public transportation.
